At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers knew that the eye was a possible route of infection but were not exactly sure which parts of the eye were involved and to what extent. At first, some questioned whether or not human tears contained the virus but a recent study found that it is rare for the virus to be present in the tears of people who have COVID. The conjunctiva of the eye, however, may be a possible passageway through which the virus can enter the body but more studies need to be done to confirm this.
The conjunctiva is a clear layer of tissue that covers the whites of the eyes as well as the inner lining of the eyelids. The virus can potentially be introduced to the conjunctiva by a contaminated surface (like a hand or an object) or by airborne virus particles. Interestingly, once the pandemic began some people switched from wearing their contact lenses to exclusively wearing their prescription glasses thinking that their glasses would shield their eyes from airborne virus particles and also that contact lens use should be discontinued due to the virus (even if they themselves did not have it.) However, a recent article published June 2020 in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye states that this way of thinking is false and the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and American Optometric Association (AOA) agree. Read more at https://drlandrio.com/can-i-wear-my-contacts-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/